For Napier and RU, a tense goodbye at Gampel

Myles Mack scored 16 points and Wally Judge added 13 points and 10 rebounds as Rutgers pushed No. 19 UConn before falling 69-63 in what may well be the program’s final visit to Gampel Pavilion. Thoughts, quotes and game story link:

This was Rutgers’ best road effort. The Scarlet Knights locked down the paint, beat UConn on the boards, got solid bench play and shared the ball nicely, even though the shots didn’t fall for critical stretches in the second half. To be fair UConn wasn’t very sharp, but Rutgers (now 1-10 on the road) put a good foot forward in an extremely difficult environment.

Considering how well Rutgers played, it was frustrating that the Scarlet Knights could not get a shot off on three possessions in the final minute as UConn raised the temperature defensively. That’s where Rutgers’ lack of a leader on the floor comes back to bite. It would have been interesting to see how the Huskies fared shooting one-and-one with a one-possession lead.

Great to see deep reserve Kerwin Okoro get some run and contribute five points over nine minutes. If anyone deserved a 3-pointer to bank in, it was him. Okoro is well-liked by his teammates and his buckets undoubtedly energized the guys. We’d like to see more of him in these final couple of games.

Freshman forward Junior Etou (4 points on 1-of-5 shooting) looks gassed. Too many front-iron jumpers. Senior Wally Judge (13 points, 10 boards) made up for it in one of his best showings. Kadeem Jack (9 points, 5 turnovers) got just seven shots as UConn sandwiched him between two big defenders every time he got near the paint. Get used to that, especially from foes who can really body up.

You knew Shabazz Napier would go out strong on Senior Night, and he did (26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover in 39 minutes). A great warrior whose forever collegiate career finally is winding down. Just like Rutgers won’t miss dealing with the insanely raucous Gampel (0-5 there since 1972), they won’t miss being cut to ribbons by one of the nation’s best clutch performers.

FIVE QUOTES

Wally Judge: “The best thing I could take out of this is we were all tuned in . . . This showed we can come together, we can play together,” senior center Wally Judge said. “It’s a turnaround from a lot of the selfishness that we’ve seen before. It shows we haven’t given up on the season.”

Myles Mack on Kerwin Okoro: “He played really well. He’s been doing great in practice, so coach had no choice but to play him.”

Eddie Jordan: “We’re not up for moral victories. Winning is always No. 1. But 1-A is having a competitive spirit—our drive, our demeanor, how we compete. So 1-A was there.”

UConn coach Kevin Ollie on his seniors: “They could have left. They could have transferred . . . They kept this program alive . . . I can never repay them for what they gave me – a chance to coach them. It’s just been a blessing.”

Judge, on getting tied up under UConn’s basket in the final minute with RU down four: “If I knew he was back there I probably would have pumped it. I was just trying to get the shot up quick so we could get into our pressure (defense) down two. Tremendous effort on his behalf.”

About Jerry Carino

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.

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About the Author

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.Email Jerry.